Nevada Day falls on Halloween this year. The parade starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. Last year it ran on Saturday, Nov. 1. The 2026 theme is "Pumpkins, Pioneers and Tall Tales." Steven Saylor is Grand Marshal and Bobby Bean is Legacy Grand Marshal. The official Nevada Day vendors are now on both sides of Carson Street from Robinson Street to Proctor Street. In 2024 and 2025 they were in a plaza behind McFadden Plaza. That puts the day's shopping on the same pavement as the parade, and the newest businesses downtown are planning around it.
The Vendors Move From the Back Lot to Carson Street
In 2024, Carson Now's schedule listed the official Vendor Plaza behind McFadden Plaza at 200 S. Curry St. The Nevada Appeal's 2025 event guide still had the Vendor Plaza there. Telegraph Street, Proctor Street and the 3rd Street lot have also hosted vendors and food trucks, according to KOLO's 2025 preview, so the footprint has always spread out somewhat.
For 2026, the official Nevada Day schedule puts the official vendors "now located in the downtown corridor from Robinson St. to Proctor St. on both sides of Carson Main," open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It describes them as local Nevada artists and local businesses. The organizers haven't published a reason for the move. Nevada Day Inc. did hold a business forum in July 2025 to collect local input on the parade.
In practice, people waiting for the parade will be standing in the same blocks where the vendors are selling. The parade starts at Carson and William, heads south on Carson, and ends at Stewart and South Carson. The schedule says it runs about four hours. Some of the curb space that used to be just for parade watchers is now shared with vendor booths.
The Nugget Block Has the Most Riding on Oct. 31
The Carson Nugget hosts one of the oldest traditions of the day. The 44th Annual Nevada Day Chili Feed runs from noon to 2 p.m. in the Nugget's Sierra Room. It's free and limited to guests 21 and over. Tickets are handed out starting at 10 a.m. at the Nugget's Winners Club, the same time the parade steps off.
The Nugget also has a new tenant trying to open before parade day. Wild Garlic Pizza is building out the former Alatte Wine & Coffee Bar space at 507 N. Carson St. Carson Now reported on Oct. 6 that construction was underway. Co-owner Marlon Flores said they hope to open by Nevada Day, pending permits and inspections. Nugget owner Dean DiLullo told the Nevada Appeal that Alatte has moved inside Capital City Grille. He also said the pizza shop will have its own entrance on the building's southwest corner.
The owners are Marlon and Rosy Flores, who opened Dirty Dough Cookies on Highway 50 East two years ago. They're partnering with Wild Garlic owner Dean Christopher. They won't be running it as a franchise. Wild Garlic has been in Reno since around 2012. It's known for Pacific Northwest-style pizza with a thin, crisp crust and a braided edge, served with cups of honey for dipping. The Carson Street shop will sell whole pies and slices, plus focaccia sandwiches, garlic knots, salads and "Detroit bites." All of the dough, sauces and toppings are made from scratch in the company's central kitchen in Reno.
The Floreses' plan is built around late hours downtown. Rosy Flores told Carson Now she sees the later hours serving families coming home from sporting events, students finishing extracurriculars and employees getting off work late, along with the bar and concert crowds.
"Sports get out late," she said. "You need to have a place to go and eat."
They also plan student-ID discounts, free wifi and outlets at every table, and a large mural by local muralist Andrew Doiron. They want to host monthly outdoor movie nights and live music in Laxalt Plaza, between the Nugget and the Nevada Secretary of State's Office. If they open in time, their first big day downtown would be a Saturday with the vendor corridor in front, the Chili Feed in the same building, and a post-parade celebration running until 6 p.m.
Curry Street Is Where the Families Go
When the vendors moved to Carson Street, the lot behind McFadden Plaza took on a new job. The 200 S. Curry St. lot now holds the Nevada Day Kid Market & Adventure Zone, with family-friendly vendors and activities from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city has closed that lot to parking for the day.
Curry Street also gets the most Nevada event on the calendar. At 10:30 a.m., the World Championship Single Jack Drilling Contest starts on Curry in front of the Nevada Day Gift Shop. Contestants have 10 minutes to drill into Sierra White Granite with a hammer and steel bit, in a nod to Comstock mining. A block north at 110 S. Curry is Bub's Bookstore, which held its grand opening in June. Co-owners Rob Fuller and Demi Pettway told Carson Now they want it to work as a no-pressure "third space" with local-author events. This will be the shop's first Nevada Day.
Curry closes early. 2 News reported these closure windows:
- North Curry, West Robinson to West Spear: closed from 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, until 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2
- Carson Street, Winnie Lane to Fairview Drive: closed from 5 a.m. Saturday until the parade ends
- West 2nd Street, Carson to South Curry: 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Telegraph and Proctor, Curry to Plaza: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Curry Street, Robinson to Musser: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Parking on any closed street is banned from 5 a.m. Saturday. The Telegraph, Proctor and Curry closures stay in place until 10 p.m., hours after the parade ends. Those blocks are set aside for the evening as well as the morning.
South Carson Starts Before Sunrise
Activity starts at the south end of the route. Coffee & Balloons begins at 6 a.m. near Carson Mall, with coffee and mimosas while the hot air balloons inflate. The national anthem opens the balloon launch at 8 a.m., and public viewing is free. Carson Mall runs its own festivities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There's live music, craft booths, a cornhole challenge and a "Battle of Bites" contest among local food vendors. The mall has hosted Nevada Day events in past years. The bites contest doesn't appear in the 2024 or 2025 coverage.
South Carson has seen its own turnover. The Metcalf Way Breakfast Buffet runs 7 to 9:30 a.m. at Red's Old 395 Grill, 1055 S. Carson St. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and proceeds support Nevada Day events. Close by, at 1122 S. Carson St., the Arby's closed after 41 years. As of Carson Now's Oct. 7 report, the city had no permits or redevelopment plans on file for the site. Further south, Einstein Bros. Bagels opened its first Carson City shop in September at 3849 S. Carson St., the former Jimmy John's. It's open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
Here's how the official schedule lays out the day:
- 6 a.m. Coffee & Balloons near Carson Mall
- 7 to 9:30 a.m. Pancake Breakfast at the Governor's Mansion, 606 N. Mountain St., $7 adults and $3 under 10, hosted by the Carson City Republican Women's Club. Metcalf Way Breakfast Buffet at Red's Old 395 Grill
- 8 a.m. Balloon launch; Nevada Day Classic 8K and 2-mile run/walk on the west side, costumes encouraged, benefiting Guide Dogs for the Blind; vendors on Carson Street and the Kid Zone on Curry open
- 10 a.m. Parade steps off at William and Carson; Chili Feed tickets available at the Nugget
- 10:30 a.m. Single Jack Drilling Contest on Curry
- Noon to 2 p.m. Chili Feed in the Nugget's Sierra Room
- After the parade Capital City Community Band at the Legislative Amphitheater; Governor's Mansion open house 2 to 4 p.m.
- 3 to 5 p.m. Costumed, docent-led tours at the Foreman-Roberts House Museum, 1207 N. Carson St.
- 3 to 6 p.m. Post-Parade Telegraph & Proctor Celebration with live music, food and drink vendors, kids' activities and a beer garden on West Proctor
The official page lists the pancake breakfast and the Classic race as Oct. 31 in its headings but Nov. 1 in their descriptions. Visit Carson City's schedule puts both on Saturday, Oct. 31. The beard contest has the same problem. It's listed for 2 p.m. on the McFadden Plaza main stage, but the page gives two different dates, so it's worth checking with organizers before you plan around it. Nevada Day Inc. launched a free events app in June that sends parade alerts, which may be the easiest place to catch last-minute changes.
What Bookends the Weekend
The weekend starts Friday, Oct. 30, with an East Side walking tour. It ends Sunday, Nov. 1, with the Post-Nevada Day Trash Mob cleanup at 7 a.m. Results from Nevada Day Inc.'s 2026 time-capsule vote will be announced on parade day in the official guide.
One more opening is planned downtown after the parade. Mofos Pizza co-owners Melissa Negrillo and Justin Morrison plan to open at 444 E. William St., the former Big Chicken, in late November or early December. They told the Nevada Appeal the menu will include scratch-made pizza and pasta and a salad bar, with hours of 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. That puts two new pizza shops within a short drive of the parade's starting point by the end of the year.
If you own near the route and want to know how parade-day closures and new businesses on your block affect what your home is worth, Faught Group is happy to go over it with you. Schedule a Meeting, and we'll walk through what's changing on Carson Street and what it means for your property.
